Read Psalm 49:1-20. What led the psalmist to be so sure of his final resurrection (Psalm 49:15) in contrast to those who perished without that assurance (Psalm 49:6-14)?

Psalm 49:1-20 speaks about the false confidence of the foolish “who trust in their wealth and boast in the multitude of their riches” (Psalm 49:6, NKJV), who “call their lands after their own names” (Psalm 49:11, NKJV), and who live only to bless themselves (Psalm 49:18). They act as if their houses and their own glory would last forever (Psalm 49:11, Psalm 49:17).

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But the foolish forget that their honor vanishes and that they perish just as the beasts do (Psalm 49:12, NKJV). “Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; … and their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from their dwelling” (Psalm 49:14, NKJV).

As stated by Job centuries earlier, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart” (Job 1:21, NIV; 1 Timothy 6:7). The psalmist points out that both the fool and the wise die, leaving “their wealth to others” (Psalm 49:10, NKJV).

But there is a radical contrast between them. On one side are the fools who perish, even though trying to find assurance in their own transient possessions and accomplishments. In contrast, the wise behold, beyond the human saga and the prison of the grave, the glorious reward that God has reserved for them (1 Peter 1:4). With this perception in mind, the psalmist could say with confidence, “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He shall receive me” (Psalm 49:15, NKJV).

Consistent with the Old Testament hope, this statement is not suggesting that at the time of his death the soul of the psalmist would fly immediately into heaven. The psalmist is simply saying that he would not remain forever in the grave. A time would come when God would redeem him from death and take him to the heavenly courts.

Once again, the certainty of the future resurrection is depicted, bringing hope, assurance, and meaning to this present existence. So, the wise will receive a far more glorious and everlasting reward than what the foolish could gather for themselves during this short life.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

Amen!(4)

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Read Job 19:25-27 and compare it with John 1:18 and 1 Timothy 6:16. When and under what circumstances was he expecting to “see God”?

Life is not fair. We see this especially when we see the “good” suffering and the “unrighteous” prospering (see Psalm 73:12-17, Malachi 3:14-18). For example, Job was “blameless and upright” and “feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1, NKJV).

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Even so, God allowed Satan to afflict him in several disastrous ways. Physically, his body was ravaged by painful disease (Job 2:1-8). Materially, he lost large portions of his livestock and properties (Job 1:13-17). Within his household, he lost his servants and even his own children (Job 1:16, Job 1:18). And emotionally, he was surrounded by friends who accused him of being an impenitent sinner who deserved what he was facing (Job 4:1-5:27, Job 8:1-22, Job 11:1-20, etc.). Even his own wife stated, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9, NKJV).

Job did not realize that he had become the epicenter of a deep cosmic struggle between God and Satan. Afflicted by those struggles, Job regretted his own birth and wished that he had never been born (Job 3:1-26). Yet, his unconditional faithfulness to God is well expressed in the words, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15, NKJV). Even imagining that soon his life would end, he kept his assurance that death would not have the final word. With strong conviction he stated that although he would die, his Redeemer would one day stand up and he, Job himself, would see God in his own flesh (Job 19:25-27). “This is an unmistakable glimpse of the resurrection.” — The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 3, p. 549.

What a glorious hope in the midst of such a tragedy! Surrounded by sickness and pain, economic collapse, social reproach, and emotional breakdown, Job could still anticipate the day when he would rise from the dead and behold his beloved Redeemer. Actually, Job’s statement about the resurrection was filled with the same assurance that centuries later Martha uttered to Jesus: “I know that he [Lazarus] will rise again in the resurrection at the last day” (John 11:24, NKJV). Job, like Martha, had to claim this promise by faith, even though, unlike Job, Martha would soon be given powerful empirical evidence for her belief.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

Amen!(0)

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Support for the mission activities of the Seventh-day Adventist church has always been part of the Sabbath School program. This video is Mission Spotlight for this week.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsMpGyGVwSY&w=560&h=315]

Amen!(0)

The post Mission Spotlight for October 15 first appeared on Sabbath School Net.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/mission-spotlight-for-october-15/

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Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Job 19:25-27; 1 Timothy 6:16; Psalm 49:1-20; Psalm 71:1-24; Isaiah 26:14, Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:1-13 .

Memory Text: “By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son. … He considered the fact that God is able even to raise someone from the dead — and figuratively speaking, he did receive him back” (Hebrews 11:17, Hebrews 11:19, NRSV).

The Old Testament hope is grounded, not on Greek ideas about the natural immortality of the soul, but on the biblical teaching of the final resurrection of the dead.

But how could a no-longer-existent human body, cremated into ashes or destroyed by other means, be brought to life again? How can someone who has been deceased, perhaps for centuries or even millennia, recover again his or her identity?

These questions lead us to reflect on the mystery of life. We are alive and enjoy the life that God graciously grants us every day. Even without beginning to understand the supernatural origin of life, we know that in the beginning God brought life into existence from non-life through the power of His Word (Genesis 1:1-31; Psalm 33:6, Psalm 33:9). So, if God was able to create life on earth the first time from nothing (Latin ex nihilo), why should we doubt His capacity to recreate human life and to restore its original identity?

This week we will reflect on how the notion of the final resurrection unfolded in Old Testament times, with special focus on the statements of Job, some psalmists, and the prophets Isaiah and Daniel.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, October 22.

Sunday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/sabbath-old-testament-hope/